1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic keyboard instrument, such as a synthesizer, an electronic piano, an electronic organ and a single keyboard, which is capable of producing artificial sounds, and more particularly to an electronic keyboard instrument which is adapted to impart variation to artificial sounds produced, depending on whether or not an operating element thereof is operated.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, an electronic keyboard instrument, e.g. an electronic piano, is known, which has a damper pedal for imparting variation to artificial sounds produced. Such an electronic piano is adapted to change duration of a tone lingering after a player has released a key thereof, depending on whether or not the player depressed the key while stepping on the damper pedal at the same time.
However, such a conventionally, electronic keyboard instrument suffers from the following inconveniences:
Whether the damper pedal is stepped on or not does not result in variation of the tone per se of an artificial sound produced by an electronic piano and the like, but merely in a change or changes of either or both of loudness and duration of a lingering tone, with the waveform of the artificial sound merely increasing in amplitude and/or length as a whole, i.e. with the waveform per se undergoing a slight change. Therefore, a player cannot make his or her performance very much the more colorful by operating the damper pedal.
Further, the duration of the lingering tone of the artificial sound cannot be freely changed by a player.